Kory Stevens: 20 in Their 20s

Congratulations to Kory Stevens, CEO and founder of Taft. He has been selected as one of the 2017 20 in Their 20s honorees.

Kory Stevens and his wife Mallory started Taft as a Kickstarter for men’s socks in 2014. Since then, the brand has grown into a luxury direct-to-consumer shoe company, with shoes crafted from high-quality materials by artisans in Spain. Stevens designs all of the shoes himself, visits his manufacturers abroad frequently, and has seen his brand featured in Forbes, GQ, Business Insider, and other publications. Taft reached $5 million in revenue this year.

Even with his success, Stevens would not call himself entrepreneurial. “I am ambitious, but not particularly entrepreneurial. I avoid taking risks and thrive on predictability and stability,” he says. “Running a business is anything but those things, so it’s a daily battle to be ok with how my life looks right now.”

Stevens says instead, he focuses on the positives in his career: he tries not to compare his own business to others, finds time to be there for his wife and tow children, and has been using the influence he’s been gaining to raise awareness about mental health issues. When he can, he interacts personally with Taft’s customers to bolster his brand’s loyal followers – some with as many as 50 pairs of Taft shoes, he says.